Compared with a national rate of 30 percent, only 25
percent of Hoosiers between the ages of 25 and 64 obtain at least a bachelor’s
degree, according to Census data. While Indiana does better
than most states at holding on to its college graduates, its ability to
attract educated adults is where it lags behind the competition according to
census data. These findings are what led Mike
Hicks of Ball State University to question the endowment’s brain-drain
grants and other similarly focused areas. “The problem lies not in how many
people we’re educating or how we’re educating them, but in having places that
they want to live,” said Hicks in a September interview.

The endowment determined the size of its grants
based on enrollment numbers at each educational institution. The largest
grants, $5 million each, were awarded to Indiana University and Purdue
University. Ivy Tech Community College will receive $4.9 million while $3
million each will go to the University of Notre Dame, Ball State University,
Indiana State University, Indiana Wesleyan University, the University of
Southern Indiana and Vincennes University. The majority of remaining schools
will be awarded roughly $1 million each.

Nearly all the colleges will use the money to expand
internships and experiential learning opportunities for students as well as
expand career development programs, says the endowment. “These activities have
the potential to [significantly] increase the number of Indiana college
graduates who find satisfying opportunities in the state,” said Lilly
Endowment’s vice president for education Sara Cobb.